Taking lunches off the ship...can or can not??

[angiejoan]

I've been reading through the threads and found a bit about this in older posts. But i'm looking for answers from someone who recently took the POA cruise. We're going in Oct and wondering if we bring a soft side cooler are we allowed to take food with us off the ship?? And can we bring soda back on the ship if we make a wal-mart run?! Thanks

[JGaleCPA]

We did it a number of times on the cruise ended Saturday.

 

We would either order room service the night before or get them from the deli bar.

 

In Room fridge is great for keeping them cool.

 

A little ice in a ziploc bag from the ice cooler and we were all set.

[CaribbeanBound]

"Officially" you can't take any food off the ship. It is both a ship violation and a Hawaii agricultural violation. Clearly as Gale noted, it "can" be done.

[angiejoan]

Do they "check" your bags as you leave the ship? I feel like I'm being naughty and sneaky but if we put a soft side cooler in our beach bag will we make it through?!!

[mikedw]

"Officially" you can't take any food off the ship. It is both a ship violation and a Hawaii agricultural violation. Clearly as Gale noted, it "can" be done.

 

Really don't thing this applies to the POA, since it's US Flagged and all the food is loaded in Honolulu and you technically never leave the state.

[kapoho2]

Yes, you can buy soda at Walmart and bring it back on the ship.

 

I don't see why taking food off of the ship would be a problem. They do not check bags as you are exiting the ship. And, since the ship is catered in HNL...there should be no problem taking any of the food off, especially stuff like breads and cold cuts. The only thing that Hawaii is concerned about is fruit and since the fruit on the ship is already in the state I can't see where the problem would be.

 

Just be considerate when choosing where and when to eat your picnic lunch. I have seen families with coolers that they obviously packed on the ship eating their "cheap" lunch while using the oudoor tables at an establishment that sells food. Tacky!!

 

And, don't forget to be sure and try some of the local dishes and support some of the local business while you are out and about!! Enjoy!

[cruiseman40]

Just don't try boarding the ship back with Coral! lmao

[mih13]

We took food off the ship a few times on our Aug. 1st trip, ordered from room service. It was great when we were going snorkeling at a beach with no services. They don't search bags getting off the ship. We also took soda back on the ship several times from Walmart with no problems. Just don't try picking up a coconut and bringing it back on the ship, as my boyfriend's sister found out (we tried warning her). They told her if she could husk it right then she could have it, otherwise they would keep it (and it was funny to watch her try :D).

[angiejoan]

We took food off the ship a few times on our Aug. 1st trip, ordered from room service. It was great when we were going snorkeling at a beach with no services. They don't search bags getting off the ship. We also took soda back on the ship several times from Walmart with no problems. Just don't try picking up a coconut and bringing it back on the ship, as my boyfriend's sister found out (we tried warning her). They told her if she could husk it right then she could have it, otherwise they would keep it (and it was funny to watch her try :D).

 

Excellent! That's exactly what i needed to know...thanks! Inlaws......;)

[angiejoan]

Why don't you just try to help their economy and spend some money while there, instead of breaking rules.

If you have to definitely do not take fruit off/on the ship.

 

Come on now...just 'cause I'd like to enjoy a little romantic picnic on a secluded part of the RTH with just my hubby and I...or overlooking Waimea Canyon...

 

I'm not fimiliar with the areas and won't always be certian we'll run into a little place to grab something to go....let's not read into posts assuming I'm meaning every single day for every single meal.

 

Latino...you've just ruined cc for me :(

[West Maui]

Come on now...just 'cause I'd like to enjoy a little romantic picnic on a secluded part of the RTH with just my hubby and I...or overlooking Waimea Canyon...

 

I'm not fimiliar with the areas and won't always be certian we'll run into a little place to grab something to go....let's not read into posts assuming I'm meaning every single day for every single meal.

 

Latino...you've just ruined cc for me :(

 

Aloha, AngieJoan and Latino7,

 

I think Latino7 was just trying to point out an alternative, although maybe he didn't fully explain his thoughts. He has a good point-wouldn't we ALL, no matter where we live, like to see our local businesses benefit from visitors?:confused:

 

AngieJoan, please don't let one opinion 'ruin' CC or anything else for you! Maybe a compromise--search the boards for restaurants/delis on Kauai, see if any of them sound appealing? If not, do your own thing and enjoy your picnic.......no matter where it comes from.:)

[beachchick]

One small note. Please do make sure that the state Department of Agriculture hasn't changed the legal exemption for PoA (as the only ship where passengers are/were allowed to take fresh food off the ship in ports). I could swear that I read a post by James (ohioNCLcruiser) about a change, but my memory isn't what it once was. James would know because he works on PoA and is a wealth of current knowledge with much experience.

 

beachchick

[pomgo]

I took some pastries with me from ship mainly because of going low in sugar. The dog sniffed me out At Sydney . Maybe should not have taken the ones with jam on.as think it was the fruit the dog smelt! It was however, quite embarrasing. Wont try it agian.

[deckgirl]

on several of our cruises we emptied what the ship had stocked in the fridge and just set it on the shelf above so we could put it back at the end of the cruise. then restocked the fridge with our purchases from the local mini-marts, wal-mart, etc. at the port stops. no problems at all on any of the cruise lines, as long as we weren't trying to bring on alcohol. on the last night of the cruise, along with packing our suitcases, we cleaned our stuff out of the fridge and put the original items back in. no problems.

[Jeanny]

I took some pastries with me from ship mainly because of going low in sugar. The dog sniffed me out At Sydney . Maybe should not have taken the ones with jam on.as think it was the fruit the dog smelt! It was however, quite embarrasing. Wont try it agian.

 

:D when we were flying out of Providence, RI for our Eastern Carribean cruise last year, my mother (then 79 years old) wanted to bring some sandwiches on the plane with us "just in case any of us got hungry". Um, NO!! she hadn't been on a plane in awhile & didn't realize what you could & could not take on!

 

I didn't give the dog a chance to sniff us out!! :D

 

I'll have to watch what she does when we go on & off the ship in Hawaii ;)

[beachchick]

:D when we were flying out of Providence, RI for our Eastern Carribean cruise last year, my mother (then 79 years old) wanted to bring some sandwiches on the plane with us "just in case any of us got hungry". Um, NO!! she hadn't been on a plane in awhile & didn't realize what you could & could not take on!

 

I didn't give the dog a chance to sniff us out!! :D

 

I'll have to watch what she does when we go on & off the ship in Hawaii ;)

 

Really? We don't have problems bringing food on planes. Liquids, of course, no way. But I always pack us a lunch because we loathe airplane food, especially now that it costs extra. We even pack a lunch for our flights to Hawaii and I've packed fruit salad for it. However (and this is what makes it legal), I pack the fruit salad in a disposable container, which we turn in to the flight attendents along with the rest of our trash, the paper bag I packed our lunch in, and any leftovers. We do not bring one single scrap of fresh food off the plane when we land.

 

In any case, sandwiches and other food items certainly aren't on the TSA no-no list. Or was it a no-no for your flight because of a specific local rule? You will definitely have to keep an eye on your mother when visiting Hawaii. My mother is always one for "let's pack a snack from the buffet or order one or get extra at breakfast for later and take it when we go out for the day" when she travels. Fortunately, she knows the rules for Hawaii and has lived through several local and state-wide quarantines, so she knows how serious it is.

 

beachchick